3of 5HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: Bryant Shirreffs #4 of the Connecticut Huskies has is pass attempt knocked down by Ed Oliver #10 of the Houston Cougars in the fourth quarter on September 29, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)Photo: Bob Levey, Stringer

5of 5Ed Oliver, sits with his little brother, Justin Baker, and mother, Dana Baker, before Oliver signed a letter of intent to play football at Houston, during National Signing Day ceremonies at Westfield High School on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

Ed Oliver had enough. It was early in preseason camp, and the most heralded signee in University of Houston history was already fed up working with the second-team defense.

"Playing with the 2s, I just felt disrespected every day," Oliver said. "That just made me want to go out and smash people every day."

He took out his frustration on an unsuspecting teammate.

"I broke through the line. I tried to smash (running back) Mulbah Car," Oliver said. "I made him fumble and everything. I tried to end his life. I was like, 'Man, ya'll going to get me away from these 2s.' I tried everything to get with the 1s."

By the third practice, Oliver was lining up with the first-team unit, a spot he's held ever since as No. 20 UH ends the regular-season Friday at Memphis.

Only now Oliver, a true freshman nose tackle, is taking out his frustrations on opposing quarterbacks.

Oliver had two of the Cougars' 11 sacks of Heisman Trophy favorite Lamar Jackson, along with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble, in a 36-10 upset over fifth-ranked Louisville.

It was the latest dominant performance by Oliver, who is among the leading candidates for American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year and could become the school's first freshman named first-team All-America.

Oliver describes his success "stepping-stones" to an even bigger goal.

"Just strive to be the best in the nation," Oliver said. "That's all I want to do."

Oliver is second nationally with 191/2 tackles for loss, is third among all defensive linemen with 61 tackles and is tops with nine pass breakups.

After Oliver's latest performance, teammates began to wonder if he was even human.

"This guy is an alien, beast, whatever you want to call him," linebacker Steven Taylor said. "He's not from this world."

In the Cougars' two biggest games this season, Oliver had four sacks and five tackles for loss against top-three AP teams Oklahoma and Louisville.

"Obviously knowing I can play with those guys," Oliver said when asked what he learned in those games.

Last February, Oliver could have signed anywhere in the country, with offers from nearly every major program as the No. 4 overall prospect, according to ESPN.

Oliver knows he could have received more attention by signing with a Power Five program and measure himself against some of the nation's top players in the SEC or Big Ten. But instead, the 6-2, 290-pound Oliver chose to join his older brother Marcus, a junior offensive lineman at UH, and reunite with former Westfield coach Corby Meekins. Oliver became the first five-star prospect to sign with a school outside the Power Five conferences in the modern recruiting era.

"I like to let people set goals for me - and then I like to break them," Oliver said. "That's why every big game is a big game for me. I make sure to show out in those games."

In the opener against Oklahoma, Oliver was a menace and harassed quarterback Baker Mayfield throughout the game. There was a level of satisfaction for his performance considering the Sooners were the first team to offer him a scholarship after his freshman year in high school.

"They were coming after my head," Oliver said.

Tough critic

How did Oliver think he did in his collegiate debut?

"Nobody can push me harder than myself," he said. "I was mad at myself."

Even after two sacks?

"I didn't feel like I was dominant enough," he said.

Even after facing double- and triple-team blocks?

"Doesn't matter," he said. "Everybody showed me love. But in the back of my mind, I remember every bad play that game. I was on the ground way more than I've ever been in my life."

To show what kind of stats Oliver is racking up, the UH sports information department sent out a chart this week comparing Oliver with one of his favorite players, Ndamukong Suh, as a senior at Nebraska. Oliver's numbers were either comparable or exceeded that of Suh.

"That was crazy to see that," Oliver said. "Just to even see that meant the world to me. It showed what I am doing is not average."

Oliver said his brother prepared him for what to expect in college, as did playing at a powerhouse like Westfield and working the past several months with Yancy McKnight, UH's director for football sports performance.

"My high school prepared me," he said. "Yancy prepared me."

What may be most impressive about Oliver's freshman season is that he's piling up tackles as a nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme.

Joseph Duarte has been a sports reporter for the Houston Chronicle since August 1996. He currently covers college athletics, focusing on the University of Houston. Previously, he wrote about the Houston Astros from 1998-2002, Houston Texans from 2002-05 and the Texas Longhorns from 2005-09. He came to the Houston Chronicle as part of an internship through the Sports Journalism Institute in 1995.